# NousResearch/hermes-agent · Fix Alt key shortcut crashes in CLI prompt_toolkit

## Open now

- Nothing open on GitHub.

These issues and fixes address CLI startup crashes and broken shortcuts caused by prompt_toolkit rejecting Alt key bindings in an unsupported string format. The fixes convert Alt key definitions to accepted escape sequence or tuple formats.

## TL;DR

- 4 member(s): 0 open issue(s), 1 closed issue(s), 0 open PR(s), 1 merged PR(s), 2 PR(s) closed without merging.
- A fix was merged to main in PR #86768. Verify it addresses your case.
- **Recommended:** read PR #86768 (and any competing PRs below) before filing. Confirm the merged change covers your symptom.

## Maintainer resolution verdict

- Internal-tracker verdict over this cluster's issue members: `resolved` · deciding PR(s): `pr-86768`. This is distinct from the fix status above. Weigh it yourself.

## How this cluster was grouped

- Link evidence (`STRUCTURAL_SPANNING`): every member is connected by structural evidence: shared changed files, or a closing/superseded reference.
- Pairwise link density `0.50`: the share of member pairs that carry a link, counting a structural link in full and a relevance-only link at 0.36. `1.00` means every pair is linked.

## Closed / duplicate issues

- #74169: CLI crash on startup when voice.record_key uses alt (e.g. alt+v): prompt_toolkit rejects 'a-v' key format

## Prior & competing PRs

- **#86768: fix(tui,cli): salvage editing shortcuts — paste/copy/word-delete, CLI multiline defaults, Alt-shortcut prompt_toolkit crash**. merged to main · fix tier `verified`
  - maintainer direction: category `merged`
  - files: `cli.py`, `contributors/emails/[redacted:email]`, `hermes_cli/config_defaults.py`, `hermes_cli/voice.py`, `tests/cli/test_cli_init.py`, `tests/cli/test_ctrl_enter_newline.py`, `tests/hermes_cli/test_voice_wrapper.py`, `ui-tui/src/__tests__/inputSelectionClipboard.test.ts`, `ui-tui/src/__tests__/textInputCut.test.ts`, `ui-tui/src/__tests__/textInputWordDelete.test.ts`, `ui-tui/src/app/inputSelectionStore.ts`, `ui-tui/src/app/useInputHandlers.ts`, `ui-tui/src/components/textInput.tsx`, `web/src/lib/pty-keyboard-shortcuts.test.ts`, `web/src/lib/pty-keyboard-shortcuts.ts`, `web/src/pages/ChatPage.tsx`, `website/docs/user-guide/cli.md`, `website/docs/user-guide/configuration.md`
- **#74184: fix(cli): bind alt voice.record_key as an escape sequence so startup doesn't crash (#74169)**. closed without merge
  - maintainer direction: category `implemented_elsewhere`; implication `superseded`; refs `fef9c537d`, `#74169`
- **#74257: fix(cli): convert Alt key shortcuts to sequence tuple for prompt_toolkit**. closed without merge
  - maintainer direction: category `merged_via`; implication `superseded`; refs `#86768`

## Fix status

- Merged to main in PR #86768 (cited above). No release data is tracked. Verify downstream.
- Fix last verified (merged) `2026-08-15`.
- Subsystem: `hermes_cli`